Monday's #SandtonDiscussion hosted at Adams & Adams will cover the tricky issue of copyright ownership over creations developed by others for you and paid for by you. This happens frequently when houses are built, logos are designed, websites and apps are created and when you commission that family portrait. Who owns the copyright in these commissioned works?
Joining us will be none other than Aaron Wood (Swindell Pearson), the trade mark and design attorney responsible for Europe's most recent decision in Atelier v Kilnworx (Atelier Eighty Two Limited v Kilnworx Climbing Centre CIC & Others [2015] EWHC 2291 (IPEC)) involving a logo. The judge in that case came to the conclusion that the commissioner was entitled to call for the assignment of the copyright in the logo.
Aaron will provide us with insight into the incremental bits that evolved during cross examination (and are not necessarily in the written decision) that lead to the conclusion, and whether those circumstances could give rise to similar decisions for other commissioned works. He will also explain how discovery became an issue in the case and, really what everyone is dying to know, some insight into what it cost.
The discussion will take place at the usual time 9AM CAT and you can join us on twitter using #sandtondiscussion. If you feel you want to listen in, please email us here so that we can see if we can set a conference call.
For those of you who do not know, the #SandtonDiscussion arose from a weakly training session organised by Lita Miti-Qamata "we just wanted to make it more interesting and the group thought that twitter seemed a novel and safe way to do so. Three month's down the line we have had engagement from over 20 people from different parts of the world giving greater depth to the session. And it's fun!"
Lita is shortly going on maternity leave and in her stead Reinhardt Biermann has stepped in to arrange the weekly session that sees topics circulated and lead by different members of the group. As usual Afro-IP will help cover it on the blog and on twitter. Thanks too, to Adams & Adams for hosting the discussion.
